The Hennepin Canal Parkway, administered by the Illinois Department of Natural Resources as a state park, follows an old towpath along a canal opened in 1907 and quickly abandoned due to competition...

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Trails by activity

The Hennepin Canal Parkway, administered by the Illinois Department of Natural Resources as a state park, follows an old towpath along a canal opened in 1907 and quickly abandoned due to competition...

The Hennepin Canal Parkway, administered by the Illinois Department of Natural Resources as a state park, follows an old towpath along a canal opened in 1907 and quickly abandoned due to competition...

The Hennepin Canal Parkway, administered by the Illinois Department of Natural Resources as a state park, follows an old towpath along a canal opened in 1907 and quickly abandoned due to competition...

Recent Trail Reviews

Illinois & Michigan Canal State Trail

Always beautiful, but needs a little TLC this spring

I'm writing this because we weren't able to find any information on current trail conditions. The I&M is one of our favorite trails in Northern Illinois. Today my husband and I rode between Channahon and Morris for the first time this season (now that they've finally re-opened the restrooms). We were pleased to see that it was not badly affected by recent flooding, but it definitely needs some maintenance. Between Au Sable and Morris there were three large holes which others had fortunately marked by putting large sticks in them. At Au Sable a tree limb is partially blocking the path at the west end of the park. Another rider said it had been there a week already. That section also hasn't been mowed yet, so the trail seems even narrower than usual. At Morris, we hoped to continue west. We knew there was a break in the trail and that you're supposed to be able to ride around the break on the street, but there was no signage or any other indication of how to do that, so we had to turn around when we came to a barrier. Also at Morris, be aware that the road bridge leading from town into Governor Stratton State Park on the east end is being replaced. You can either carry your bike down steps to the park or walk it around the barricades very carefully (at least on a Sunday when they're not working). East of Au Sable, the trail edges have been mowed, which is a good thing, because you need to watch for large wash-out holes on the canal edge. I know it's been a rough spring in terms of both weather and the pandemic, but I hope that the IDNR will be able to get the trail back in good shape again soon. It's a real treasure.

Old Plank Road Trail

Painful on a Road Bike

I love the OPRT and have been riding it for 15+ years. Much of it is tree lined, and as a result, has some roots pushing up the pavement here and there. If your on a road bike around 15 mph, keep your eyes open, especially West of Cedar. They do a great job maintaining it, but you can’t keep every bump fixed. But other than that, this is an awesome beautiful trail.

Fox River Trail (IL)

Family Bike Ride

This was a great trail... We went as a Family, our youngest is 5 and oldest is 7. We all enjoyed it, make sure to spray deep woods off Ana you will be fine. Some flooded areas that you will have to climb around, a few minute on the rail road track won’t hurt anyone.

Could use some grade improvements and a lot fewer tire ruts, but overall a really good, easy trail.

Grove Road Trail

Pretty good

The trail itself is smooth and easy to ride, but there is a crossing of a major street, with no light. Mostly people respect the pedestrian’s way, some do not. In terms of views, it doesn’t offer much, except for the last section, which is beautiful. Overall, pretty good trail that perhaps could be expanded upon.

Oswego Prairie Trail

Blah.

What else can be said? It’s a straight line in people’s backyards dominated by power lines. Connects to a few very nice trails. Supposedly additions are going to be made- hopefully this was only a starting point and more will become of this in the near future.

Waubonsie Trail

Solid trail!

While some sections are a little bumpy and a lot of the trail is near people’s backyards, it does provide very nice views and is pretty fun to ride. Very easy to access as both endpoints have parking lots and many sidewalks connect to the trail. Safe to say this is one of the best in Oswego.

Constitution Trail

Great family ride

We rode the SW section last weekend and the family really enjoyed it. We found great parking and a spot to eat before we rode the 5 miles into town and back out. The surface was well maintained. The scenery was great. It was a nice quiet ride and we stopped to take a lot of pictures.

Old Plank Road Trail

Great trail w/ many amenities at Frankfort.

This is very well maintained trail with a couple trail connections throughout. The highlight is downtown Frankfort In The middle of the trail. Great bathrooms, parking, restaurants, farmers market Sunday’s and more. It does get crowded in Frankfort so you will need go slow down and there are a decent amount of street crossings as well. If you loop around at Sauk Lake to the East and do the whole route as a loop it’s a nice 50 ish mile route. Quite level with elevation and decline on the east end.

Fox River Trail (IL)

Rode the Entire trail in one day

I made a round trip on this trail today to totaling about ~91 miles in 9 hours (including all the detours and avoiding flooded areas). Although it was easy to navigate for someone who has good common sense on how a trail should continue, I have a feeling it could be challenging for those who don’t do trails often. More signs for direction/warning around flooded areas should help. Anyway, it was a gorgeous ride and there’s a cow farm along the way.